Hyderabad: The Medical Council of India has refused Osmania Medical College to increase its medical seat strength from 200 to 250 for the 2017-18 academic year. The denial has come due to shortage of resident doctors, lack of residential quarters and the Osmania Dean’s shortage of experience. This decision was taken at a MCI official’s meeting held in August.

The officials have further pointed to a 12.9% resident shortage (postgraduate doctors doing 1 year compulsory service after their course) in Osmania, a statement refuted by college authorities, who claim that some residents allotted to the college did not appear on time during the MCI inspection tour. Dr Aruna Ramaiah, Principal, OMC, said: “The MCI’s assessment team visited our college in August but the grounds on which they objected to our increased MBBS quota are not justifiable. Some of the deficiencies have already been corrected.” She revealed that the college is yet to receive a formal communication from MCI in this regard.

“How can this be pointed out as a reason to deny increase in intake when no government medical teaching college in Telangana provides residential quarters for their staff,” asked, President, Telangana Junior Doctors’ Association, Dr G Srinivas.

The college authorities also questioned the MCI stand on the experience criterion in the case of Prof Aruna Ramaiah’s.

“Dr Aruna Ramaiah has only 9 years and eight months experience as professor and associate professor before appointment as dean against combined experience of 10 years,” the MCI is reported to have said. However Dr. Aruna told the TOI that she had crossed the 10 year-mark in September, a month after the inspection.

MCI has also withheld the permission for the forthcoming MBBS (100 seats) in GMC Nizamabad for 2017-18 as they found a teaching faculty shortage of 20.95% and a 20.89% resident shortage during an inspection conducted in September.